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National Broadband Plan
Importance of broadband to the general welfare of all Americans
• Internet access that was a luxury only a few years ago is now an essential service
• Many studies show broadband deployment in previously unserved/underserved communities increased commerce, education, telemedicine and entertainment opportunities
• Broadband connections help consumers and communities too (access attracts industry, creates jobs, etc.)
FCC/national broadband plan puts U.S. on a course toward an urban/rural bandwidth digital divide
• “100 squared” proposal promises Internet speeds of 100 Meg to at least 100 million Americans by the year 2020—but establishes a dangerously low threshold of just 4 Meg for rural/high cost areas
• This threatens the FCC’s own goal of advancing broadband deployment
• Also threatens the economic viability of rural America – will be difficult for rural towns to attract businesses if they cannot assure high-quality, sustainable broadband access
4 Meg network is inadequate for the needs of today’s consumers—let alone their future demands
• Rural consumers, businesses, farms, hospitals, schools, libraries, etc. will have substandard service while urban areas get speeds 25 times faster
• FCC plan makes rural Americans second class citizens in the broadband world
Even 4 Meg will be hard to achieve without adequate cost recovery
• Rural areas lack population density and economic foundations found in cities/suburbs
• FCC plan also proposes to erode the time-tested mechanisms that rural providers have used to help build our wildly successful telephone network
• Rural providers need assurance we can recover our costs now more than ever so we can achieve broadband penetration success
Communications Act requires that rural consumers have access to communications service at prices that are affordable and levels that are comparable to those available in urban areas.
• 4 Meg and 100 Meg are NOT “reasonably comparable”
• Rather than support goal of universally available service, FCC plan promises faster speeds for some while essentially guaranteeing substandard, lesser service for others.
View a slide show highlighting the potential negative effects the NBP will have on your community.
How can I help?
Send a letter to your Congressional Representative or Senator urging them to support equal broadband access to rural areas and your community. For your convenience, here is a sample letter you can complete and mail or click on the Contact link to submit your concerns online.
Print a Sample Letter and click on each representative below to determine who represents your area by visiting their website:
Congressmen
Senators
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